1.26.2019

Roast Yer Roots

Roasted vegetables are the best! The sugars in the vegetables become caramelized, creating a layer of sweetness and depth of flavor that cannot be achieved with any other method. They're also easy to make and, roasted at high temperatures, take very little time to cook. Thee crispy, slightly charred bits that stick to the pan are the best part, I think, and I always go for them first. It's the vegetable equivalent of cracklings.

Saturday is usually my clean-out-the-fridge meal night. I go through our fridge, taking out anything that is nearing the end of its life or I'm simply tired of seeing and turn it a meal. A lot of the time, in winter, I end up making a soup or stew. Other times, like tonight, I chop all the veggies and roast them with whatever meat might be on hand. Tonight, I roasted almost all the root vegetables in the fridge (onions keep forever) and a pound of boneless chicken thighs.

I roasted the vegetables and chicken thighs separately as I didn't think there was enough room on the tray for everything and I wanted to make sure there was enough space on the veg tray to let everything "breathe" so they properly roasted and didn't steam themselves -- no mushy turnips for us!

Roasted Root Vegetables

Yield: 4 generous servings

Ingredients

5 parsnips, halved lengthwise & quartered

5 carrots, halved lengthwise & quartered

3 turnips, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp maple syrup

Salt & pepper, as desired

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Place the parsnips, carrots, and turnips on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then toss the vegetables until they are evenly coated with oil. Roast for 20 minutes.

Drizzle the vegetables with maple syrup, toss again to combine, and return them to the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are caramelized and yum.

Welcome

Hi, thanks so much for stopping by! I’m Lynn: reader, cook, gardener of weeds, ostomate, bisexual, cat lady, and librarian. I consistently borrow too many library books, have yet to choose a healthy bedtime, and believe ice cream for lunch is the adulthood we all deserve. My preferred pronouns are she/her.